Streets of Heaven
by RemyLeVampiress
Summary: Rogue [Anna] and Remy are in the hospital with their little girl, Anna sends out a prayer for their daughter. Song fic. Streets of Heaven by Sherri Austin.


First fan fiction, be gentle I beg of thee.

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men, that's property of Marvel, if I did Gambit and Rogue would always be together. I also do not own the song "Streets of Heaven", that's by Sherrie Austin.

_Hello God, it's me again. 2:00 a.m., Room 304.  
Visiting hours are over, time for our bedside tug of war.  
This sleeping child between us may not make it through the night.  
I'm fighting back the tears as she fights for her life._

Rogue, no she was only Rogue during missions now, Anna that's who she was here in this hospital room; Anna Raven LeBeau, devoted wife, and currently helpless but loving mother laying in a sterile hospital bed next to her daughter. Her long hair was dishevled and messy in the loose pony tail she had pulled it in, shorter strands of white hair falling loose against her face. Curled up against Anna's body, covered with her favorite blanket from home, was Cossette.

She gazed down at Cossette with worried eyes, smoothing the hair back from where it had fallen in her face. Cossette, the child she had never thought she would be able to have. Ten years ago, if someone had told her she would have been able to touch, opening the door to have children, Anna would have laughed bitterly. Then the unthinkable happened, the professor had finally helped her control her powers. It was one of the happiest days in Anna's life, her top two though where to come two years later when Remy asked her to marry him, and a year after that when Cossette had come along. Her sweet Cossette, her closed eyes hiding the emerald green eyes she had inherited from her mother, the auburn hair with a faint wave that came from her father.

"She not goin' no where chere. It be late, close dem eyes and get some sleep." Remy said from his seat where he reclined right next to the metal bars on Cossettes bed. Anna wondered if she looked as tired as Remy did, there was two days growth of a beard on his chisled face and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. He was taking it hard worrying about both Cossette and Anna. In the past four months since Cossette had been diagnosed with Leukemia neither Remy nor Anna had gotten a decent nights sleep. Anna looked at the clock on the wall, one of those standard issue clocks that you find in hospitals, schools, offices, the plain black and white one. It was two in the morning and the only sound in the room was the heart monitor's slow but steady beeping. "Ah reckon it is pretty late, huh?" she said looking over now to Remy. "Night sugah." She said, closing her eyes.

Prior to Cossette getting sick, Anna had not been strictly religious, yes she had been born to a Baptist family and yes she believed in God, but she wasn't a devout as she could have been. With every day becoming a fighting battle for Cossette's life, Anna had gotten in the habit of praying each and every day and night, trying to get all the help she could for her child from the Creator. _Hello God, Anna here again. Pretty late Ah know, haven't been able t' sleep what with worryin' ovah Cossette. Today wasn't so good for her, y' know? Doctor's sayin' the cancer's progressin'. It's so hard not t' jus' break down an' cry, but Ah know if mah babeh girl can stay strong through all this, then so can Ah._

_Well, it must be kind of crowded,  
On the streets of Heaven.  
So tell me: what do you need her for?  
Don't you know one day she'll be your little girl forever.  
But right now I need her so much more.   
She's much too young to be on her own:  
Barely just turned seven.  
So who will hold her hand when she crosses the streets of Heaven?_

_Maybe Ah'm bein' selfish God, but Ah know you got yo' self plenty of people up there in Heaven, so why do ya' need her too? One day, long from now Ah hope, she'll be there, for tha moment though, Ah need her more than you. She ain't got no family up there really, so she'd kinda be on her own and she's hardly seven year's old. That's too young don't you think? She'd be needin' someone to hold her hand on them golden streets I heard about, Cossette knows better than crossin the road without an adult to help her. She learned that long time ago._

Random memories of Cossette started flickering through Anna's mind, the time when she explained the dangers of crossing the street, when she first learned to ride a bike, her first day of school which was really just her along with the other children of the X-men in a room with Jubilee who was now laying the foundations of education in their little minds. Her last birthday, which was just a few months ago when she turned seven years old.

_Tell me God, do you remember the wishes that she made,  
As she blew out the candles on her last birthday cake?  
She wants to ride a pony when she's big enough.  
She wants to marry her Daddy when she's all grown up._

_Remember her birthday God? She only had two wishes, jus' two simple wishes. Silly reall, but that's our Cossette. It was such a nice day, Ah know she had a great time. We tried really hard to make it a special day for her, considerin' that she had just found out she was sick. Please, don't make this her last year, don't let that have been her last birthday._

(Three Months Ago)

They mansion was buzzing with excitement and alive with activity. The entire team had pitched in and decorated every single room and hallway, wanting to make this Cossette's best birthday ever. Logan had even decorated outside by himself, insisting it was something he wanted to do for his goddaughter. Everyone had been impressed that the gruff Canadian they thought they knew could have pulled off such great decorations, there were streamers, balloons, and bright colors everywhere. When Cossette had been brought outside she ran to Logan and leapt in his arms, "Merci Wolvie! Merci beaucoup!" Logan had tried to hide a smile as he hugged the girl tightly, "Glad you like it kid." He said in a gruff yet oddly gentle voice. It never failed to bring a smile to Anna's face when she saw how Logan was with Cossette, he was a totally different person from the man they knew. He was gentle, careful of his words, happy even.

There had been a big birthday cake made courtesy of Jean with a number 7 candle placed right in the middle and a table piled high with presents. Cossette had wore her brand new outfit Remy had took her shopping for the day before, looking so very pretty. She seemed quite small amidst the large crowd in attendance, but you could tell she loved all the attention. The glow on her face was only increased by the flickering of the candle. As everyone had joined in for a chorus of Happy Birthday Cossette grinned wildly. Remy held her on his lap as she blew out the candles, the image of him with their daughter making Anna's heart swell until she thought it might bust.

"What'd y' wish for mon ange?" Remy asked kissing Cossette's cheek lovingly.

"Uh, uh Cossette, don' y' tell yo' daddy nothin'. Y' tell someone an' it might not come true." Anna said before Cossette had the chance to tell Remy.

Remy pouted, "Chere honestly it couldn' hurt. It's our lil ange's special day, non?"

Cossette laughed and shook her head, "Non Papa, Maman said non."

Later that night Remy kissed Cossette good night as he covered her up in bed, leaving Anna a moment with Cossette alone to say their prayers. Once they had finished, Anna stood from where she had knelt by Cossette's bed and kissed her on the forehead. "Maman" Cossette said staring up with those big green eyes that mirrored Anna's.

"Yeah angel?" Anna asked. "Can I tell y' what I wished for?" Cossette asked, "I jus' gotta tell somebody." "Alrigh' Anna said. Cossette smiled secretively, the same smile Anna had seen on Remy so many times. It never failed to surprise her at just how much of their own selves had surfaced in Cossette. "I wanna ride a pony! A big one all brown with black hair, with flowers in it's hair!"

Anna laughed softly, "Maybe when you're bigger. Was that it? Did y' wish for anythin' else babeh?"

"Oui Maman, I wish that I could marry Papa when I grow up." Cossette said.

Anna laughed again, "Oh, y' wanna marry ya Daddy huh? And what about me? What am I suppose' to do?"

"Y' can marry Wolvie!" Cossette said busting into a fit of giggles which Anna soon joined. She had always found Cossette's laughter to be infectious, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

_Lord, don't you know she's my angel  
You got plenty of your own  
And I know you hold a place for her  
But she's already got a home   
Well I don't know if you're listenin'  
But praying is all that's left to do  
So I ask you Lord have mercy, you lost a son once too_

Tears poured down Anna's cheeks through her closed eyes, following the gentle curve of her cheek. _God, you know Cossette, she's my little angel. She's brought such happiness and joy to all our lives, you got plenty of joy up there in heaven, so why take my angel from me? You do that and you suck all the happiness from not just mine, but Remy's life too. Yeah, I know you got her a great home up there, a great big mansion even better than the one we got down here, but it was her home first and we want her here._ Anna sighed, was He even listening to her? What if he wasn't? Then again what if he was, and he was hearing all her doubts right now. She wiped away the tears from her cheeks, keeping her eyes closed in prayer, _Lord, you're our only hope, all I can do is pray night and day to you, so I'm asking you now God, PLEASE have mercy on us. After all, you know what it's like to lose a child too. I may have super strength, but I don't have the kind of strength that losing a child takes._

_And it must be kind of crowded,  
On the streets of Heaven.  
So tell me: what do you need her for?  
Don't you know one day she'll be your little girl forever.  
But right now I need her so much more.   
Lord, I know once you've made up your mind,  
There's no use in beggin'.  
So if you take her with you today, will you make sure she looks both ways,  
And would you hold her hand when she crosses the streets of Heaven._

The streets of Heaven.

A pair of familiar strong arms wrapped around Anna from behind, one going across to cover Cossette as well. She hadn't even realized that she was now sobbing quietly, Anna's body shaking ever so slightly with the effort to keep from waking Cossette. Remy had watched as Anna prayed, watched as each tear fell tearing at his soul a little more than it already was. His baby girl, his little angel, and his wife both laying there in bed. A plastic tube going to Cossette's nose, her little body so pale and fragile that when Remy held her he feared breaking her sometimes. Remy couldn't just sit there and watch Anna trying so hard to be strong, she needed him right now as much as he needed her. Tears filled Remy's black and red eyes, the red irises hardly glowing at all due to the sadness that filled him. Nothing had ever scared him as bad as losing Cossette, not Sinister, Magneto, Sabretooth, not even being abandoned in the dark and endless cold of the Antarctic. He had never placed too much stock in prayer, but that moment he sent out his own prayer along with Anna's, hoping there was someone out there listening.

_Lord, Ah know y' already know how this is goin' t' turn out, so beggin' is kinda pointless. Plenty o' other parents have been in th' same position, beggin' ya t' spare their child, beggin' t' take their place instead, but y' already know how it ends. Ah guess all Ah can ask, is that if ya do take her with y', make sure she looks both ways like we taught her, and hold her hand while she's roamin' Heaven. Ah know she'll be in good hands Lord. Y' gotta help us if y' do take her God, cause we ain't gonna be able t' make it alone without her. Until tomorrow Lord, Amen._

_The streets of Heaven._


End file.
